Check-rower.



No. 635,838; Patented Oct. 3|, I899. J. W. BETTENDORF.

CHECK ROWER.

- (Application filed June 30, 1399.) 0 Modem 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

N0. 635,838. Patented Oct. 3!, I899.

J. W; BETTENDOBF.

CHECK flown;

(Ap lication filed June so, 1899.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet z,

o bx

F m g Q PAT-EN I JOSEPH WV, BETTENDORF, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA.

CH ECK- ROWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,838, dated October31, 1899. Application filed I 11116 80, 1899- Serial No. 722,438. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I,JosE1 H W. BETTENDORF, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and aresident of Davenport, in the county of Scott and State ofIowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Check-Rowers,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

The object of myinvention is to prevent the marker-wheels of aself-actuated check-rower from being deflected from a straight line bythe accidental deviations of the horses from the intended line of draft.This I accomplish by the means hereinafter fully described and asparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan viewof my invention. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal central section thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail Viewillustrating the tongue-locking mechanism.

In the drawings, A represents a suitable supporting-frame, which ispreferably rectangular and is supported by wheels B for covering thefurrow into which the seed is deposited. The axle G for these wheels Bintersects frame A-about midway its length and has secured to andprojecting rearward from it the corresponding rigid arms a. A transverseshaft E is j ournaled in the rear portion of arms a, and when said axleis in its normal position the plane of these arms is such that thespadeshaped ends of the spider marking-wheels D D on the ends of saidshaft E will enter the tilled soil and leave a series of aliningdepressions which are easily discernible to and serve as a guide for theoperator when planting. The openings in arms a in which shaft E isjournaled are elongated vertically, so as to permit the said shaft tohave a limited independent vertical play to enable the marker-wheels Dto adapt themselves to irregularities of the surface over which theytravel.

Arranged in front of frame A and mainly supported by the shares orfurrow-openers b h under the hoppers c c is a rectangular hopperframe F,to which, however, I make no claim to inventorship further than may beinvolved in providing the forwardtransverse member thereof with aforwardly-projecting Vshaped bracket 61, to the vertex of which thetongue G is pivoted in a suitable manner.

The rear end of tongue G is provided with a horizontally-disposed flatsegmental plate 6, the rear curved edge of which has a series ofrecesses f in it and is held in its relative position to the reartransverse member of the hopper-frame by a hook-shaped bent guidebracket9, that is suitably secured to and projects from about the center oflength of the rear transverse member of the hopper-frame. The doubledpart of this bracket 9 projects somewhat to the rear of the edge ofplate 6 and affords a support for the lower end of a coil-spring h,which surrounds a rod H, that is pivotally secured" to the lowerforwardlybent arm of the lever I. Lever I is pivoted to the lowerportion of the seat-supporting bar 2' and is provided with the usualform of spring-catch J, which engages the serrated edge of the segmentalframe j to enable the operator to maintain said lever in any position towhich it may be thrown.

The lower branch of lever I has pivotally connected thereto the forwardend of a link K, which preferably has its rear end bifurcated and thebifurcations thereof spread apart at a suitable angle and pivotallyconnected to arms Ct at, about as shown.

The side members of the supporting-frame A are provided withcorresponding forwardlyprojecting downwardly-curved extensions k, theforward extremities of which are pivoted to the forward member of thehopperframe F, about as shown. Now when lever I is drawn rearward thespider marker-wheels are raised. If the tongue is raised, no matter atwhat angle to the line of draft it may be in, the entire hopper-frame istilted, thus increasing the distance between the rear transverse memberof the hopper-frame and the forward transverse member of the supporting-frame A, and thereby so affecting a rod M, which extendslongitudinally through the forward member of frame A and has acoilspring surrounding its rear extension, that it operates a bell-crankN, fulcrumed to lugs arising from plate 2, and causes the bolt 0,pivoted to and depending from the rearwardly-extending branch ofbell-crank N, to shoot through a suitable opening in bracket 9 and intoone of the recesses in the rear edge of plate e to lock the tongue. Thisraising and locking of the tongue enables the machine to be reversedwithin a very short compass, which, considering the character of themachine, it will readily be seen is most desirable. If the elevation ofthe tongue is greater than would be required to lock the same, theentire supporting-frame A, through the medium of the rod H, would tiltforward, and thereby raise the markers from the ground.

I do not attach any particular importance to the construction of eitherthe supportingframe A or the hopper-frame, so long as they permit theaccomplishment of the main features of my invention, and as my inventionrelates almost entirely to the objects set forth in the statement ofthis specification-namely, maintaining the course of the markers in astraight line, so that they will not be affected by the slightdeviations of the draft-animals from the line of draft-it is obvious thepivotal position of the draft-gear in front of and disconnected from theaxle O is most important.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a check-rower planter the combination with the su ppor ting-frame, running-gear therefor, corresponding spider-1n arkers, shaftfor the same journaled and revolving in a permanent transverseplane,hoppers, seed-feeding devices, and means for operating same, ofdraft-gear pivotally connected to said frame at a point disconnectedfrom and forward of the axle of the running-gear.

2. In a check-rower planter, the combination with the supporting-frame,running-gear therefor, corresponding spider-markers, shaft for the samejournaled and revolving in a permanent transverse plane, hoppers,seedfeeding devices, and means for operating the same, of the draft-gearpivotally connected in a horizontal plane to said frame at a pointintermediate or forward of the transverse plane of said hoppers.

3. In a check-rower planter, the combination with the marking andseed-feeding devices, and supporting-frame therefor, of the draftgearpivotally connected to the supporting-frame thereof disconnected fromand forward of the running-gear of the same.

4. In a check-rower planter, the combination with the marking andseed-feeding devices, and supporting-frame therefor, of the draft-gearpivotally connected to said supporting-frame intermediate or forward ofthe seed-feeding devices.

5. In a check-rower planter, the combination with the marking andseed-feeding devices, and a supporting-frame therefor, of a suitabletongue, pivotally connected to said supporting-frame forward of therunninggear thereof, which is free to move laterally when in the properhorizontally-disposed draft plane but becomes rigidly locked to saidframe when moved above the said-plane.

6. In a check-rower planter, the combination with the seeding devices,and marking devices consisting of corresponding spiderwheels andtransverse shaft to which the same are secured, arms in which said shaftis journaled, and a supporting-frame for said plan'- ter, of a suitabletongue which when raised moves said arms and lifts said spiders so thattheir peripheries clear the ground.

7. In a check-rower planter, the combination with the seeding devices,marking de= vices, consisting of corresponding spider'- wheels andtransverse shaft to which the same are secured, arms in which said shaftis journaled, and supporting-frame for said planter, of a suitablypivoted tongue which when raised moves said arms to lift said spiders sothat their peripheries clear the ground.

In a check-rower planter, the combination with the seeding devices,marking devices consisting of corresponding spiderwheels and transverseshaft to which the same are secured, arms in which said shaft isjournaled, and supporting-frame for said planter, of a suitable tonguepivotally connected to said supporting-frame and free to move lat erallywhen in the proper horizontal plane, but when raised above the saidplane becomes rigidly locked to said supporting-frame and at the sametime moves said arms to lift said spiders so that their peripheriesclear the ground. a

9. A check-rower planter having a suitable supporting-frame, hoppers,seed-feeding devices, rotary markers operatively connected thereto andactuating the same, and draft= rigging pivotally connected in ahorizontal plane to said supporting-frame.

10. A check-rower seed=planter having a suitable sup portin g-frame,hoppers, seed-feeding devices, rotary markers operatively con: nectedthereto and actuating the same which are journaled in a permanenttransverse plane to said supporting-frame, and draft-rigging pivotallyconnected in a horizontal plane to the said frame.

11. In a check-rower planter, the combina tion with a hopper-frame,hoppers carried by the same, seed-feeding devices therefor, anddraft-rigging pivotally connected in a horizontal plane to saidhopper-frame, of rotary markers operatively connected to saidseedfeeding devices, and supporting-frame therefor to the forward end ofwhich said hopperframe is connected.

12. The combination in a check rower planter, with a suitablesupporting-frame, hoppers, seed-feeding devices, rotary markersoperatively connected to and actuating the same, of a tongue pivotallysecured in a horizontal plane to said frame and normally free to turnindependent thereof, and devices for locking the said tongue at an angleto the line of draft when desired.

13. The combination in a check rower planter with a suitablesupporting-vehicle, hopper-frame suitably secured to the same, hoppers,seed-feeding devices therefor, rotary markers operatively connected toand actuating the same, of a tongue pivoted in a horizontal plane tosaid hopper-frame so as to be normally free to turn independent of thesame,

the rear end of said tongue extending beyond its pivot, and devices forengaging said rear extensions to lock said tongue at an angle to theline of draft when desired.

14. The combination in a check rower planter, with a suitablesupporting-vehicle, hopper-frame suitably secured to same, hoppers,seed-feeding devices therefor, and rotary markers operatively connectedto and actuating the same, of a tongue pivotally secured in a horizontalplane to said hopperframe so as to be normally-free to turn independentof the same, and so that its rear end extends beyond the pivotal pointthereof, a horizontally-disposed segmental plate secured to its rearend, and a bolt engaging the rear serrated edge of said plate.

15. The combination in a check -rower planter, with a suitablesupporting-vehicle, hopper-frame suitably secured to the same, hoppers,seed-feeding devices therefor, rotary markers operatively connected toand actuating the same, of a tongue pivoted in a horizontal plane tosaid hopper-frame so as to be free to normally turn independent thereof,and extending to the rear of its pivot, a plate secured to its rear end,and abolt automatically engaging the rear serrated edge of said plateaccording to the upward inclination of said tongue to the normal planeof the supporting-vehicle.

16. In a check-rower planter, the combination with thesupporting-vehicle and hopperframe articulated to the front end of thehopper-frame so that its rear end extends beyond the pivotal pointthereof, a horizontally-disposed segmental plate secured to its rearend, a bolt 0, bell-crank N, and aspring-controlled rod M, connectingsaid crank to the supportin g-vehicle.

17. In a check-rower planter, the combination with the hopper-frame, ofthe supportingvehicle to the front end of which the former isarticulated, lever I, devices for movably retaining said lever in agiven position, rod

II, horizontally connecting said lever to the rear end of the hopperframe, and coiled spring h surrounding said rod.

18. In a check-rower seed-planter, the combination with thesupporting-vehicle, of lever I of the first. class, devices 'for movablyre taiuing said lever in a given position, link K connecting the lowerarms of said lever to arms a, said arms a pivotally connected to saidsupporting-vehicle and spider-markers journaled in the rear of the same.

19. In a check-rower planter, the combination with thesupporting-vehicle, hoppers, and seed-feeding devices therefor, ofretracing spider-markers rotating in'a transverse plane to the line ofdraft of said vehicle, and devices connected to said vehicle in the rearends of which said markers are journaledand have a limited play.

20. In a check-rower planter the combination with thesupporting-Vehicle, hoppers, and seed-feeding devices therefor, ofretracing spider-markers rotating in a transverse plane to the line ofdraft of said vehicle, vertically-adjustable devices connected to saidvehicle in the rear ends of which said markers are journaled and havelimited vertical play.

21. In a check-rower planter, the combination with thesupporting-vehicle, hoppers, and seed-feeding devices therefor, ofatongue or draft-rigging pivotally connected in a hori zontal planethereto, of retracing spidermarkers rotating in a transverse plane tothe line of draft of said vehicle, vertically-adjustable devicesconnected to said vehicle, in the rear ends of which said markers arejournaled and have a limited vertical play.

22. In a check-rower planter, the combination with thesupportingvehicle, hopperframe articulated to the forward end of thesame,hoppers, and seed-feedin g devices therefor, and a tongue ordraft-rigging pivoted in a horizontal plane to said hopper-frame, ofretracing markers rotatable in a transverse plane to the line of draftof said vehicle, and suitably connected to said feeding devices, anddevices connected to said vehicle in the rear ends of which said markersare j ournaled and have a limited Vertical play.

J OSEPH W. BETTENDORF.

Witnesses HENRY BELLINGHAUSEN, FRANK GODDARD.

